Brewery archives give fascinating insight into Cork life over 150 years

THE archives of one of the country’s most famous breweries went live on the internet yesterday giving a fascinating insight into the lives of its workers, Cork’s merchant princes and the industry itself over 150 years.

The Murphy’s Brewery collection comprises 91 archival boxes and 147 bound volumes including business and brewing records. But it also contains details of the weekly wages paid, along with descriptions of the different trades employed at the famous Lady’s Well premises in Cork.

The documents give details of the expense accounts and therefore an insight into the opulent lifestyle enjoyed by Cork’s merchant princes during the 19th and 20th centuries, detailed tied house records, which are a resource for family as well as commercial historians, information on workers’ pay and conditions, and on the development of trade unions in the brewery.

The historical value of the collection was recognised over a decade ago when in 1999, Heineken Ireland, which owns Murphy’s Brewery, transferred the entire archive to University College Cork’s Library where it is now permanently preserved within the library’s purpose-built Special Collections department.

Archivist Emer Twomey processed the collection and quickly realised that it is an important genealogical resource for families of former employees.

But it will also provide much information to historians of social and commercial life in Ireland in the 19th and 20th centuries. The archive charts the evolving story of the brewery itself, its changing products, the impact of technologies and techniques of production, and the mixed fortunes of the company through 150 years of Irish economic history.

In 1856, James J Murphy in partnership with his brothers William, Jerome, Francis and Nicolas, established a firm that has remained synonymous with Cork up to the present day.

After purchasing the premises of the old Cork Foundling Hospital for the sum of £1,300, the Murphy brothers built a purpose-designed brewery on the Lady’s Well site and production of the famous porter began. The launch of the brewery’s collection online was marked at a function in the brewery itself last night.

UCC librarian John FitzGerald complimented Heineken Ireland on its farsightedness in recognising the historical importance of the records, and its generosity in donating them to UCC where they are now available for public consultation.

“UCC library is delighted to play our part in providing a user friendly digitised guide to the collection accessible from our website.”